Sir Tiberius Valerius Aquila
Title: Pontifex-Maximus of the Talos Order; Knight of the Hourglass; Sergent-at-Arms of Castle Evermore; Royal Protector of Her Majesty Syllawen Direnni, Queen of Evermore. Age: 46 Race: '''Colovian (Imperial) '''Gender: Male Character Summary: The hardened Colovian warrior-monk, forever protecting the Queen of Evermore. Tiberius or Aquila as addressed by strangers, is an extremely competent combatant with his life dedicated to the art of combat. Once a war hero in the Imperial Legion during the Oblivion Crisis and a veteran of the many wars waged by King Titus in Evermore, the warrior-monk is certainly a powerful foe. He is Pontifex-Maximus of the Talos Order, an order that reverently worships the God of War and Governance. Members of the Talos Order (a derivative of the Talos Cult) live in the memory of the great King Titus, the deceased husband of Queen Syllawen and forever wish to fulfil their oath that they shall die to put a strong man back on the throne of Tamriel. Tiberius is loyal to no ends, an honest and honourable man that craves no power of his own, living to fulfil his nonsensical promise to King Titus to protect the Queen of Evermore... a promise so contextually absurd that an outsider could uncover a misunderstanding. Skills: A true Colovian, once one of the finest Imperial Legionnaires there's ever been and still an incredibly skilled combattant. Aquila has mastered the art of combat, fighting in the traditional Colovian style with a Gladius and Scutum. Aquila's honesty and loyalty attracts people's trust in him, his strong religious dedication also serving as an advantage at times. Aquila has lived long enough and experienced enough to carry a certain amount of wisdom, he is by no means a fool. Equipment: An Imperial Pompeii Gladius made from fine Cyrodiilic Steel, meticulously crafted with an ornate ivory grip and engraved mahogany pummel. Though not often on his person, Aquila does have a black Imperial Scutum adorning the insignia of Talos to match his armour. Aquila wears a plain black traditional Imperial leather muscled cuirass with matching pouldrons, pteruges and small greaves. Under his armour he wears a navy blue tunic and on his feet he modestly wears plain sandals. A noticable feature of Aquila and all the other warrior-monks within the Order of Talos is the large blue capes and hoods they all wear, a sign of their religious servitude. Background: Tiberius Valerius Aquila was born in 3E 415 in the great Colovian city of Kvatch. His mother had died in childbirth and his father, a legionnary, had to give up the soldiers life to become a city guard and bring up the newly born boy. Aquila's father was a man of the traditional Colovian heritage and brought up the boy in a martial manner. From a very young age, Aquila was taught to wield a wooden Gladius and small buckler. Colovians are the best warriors of Tamriel, and this warlike mindset was ingrained into Aquila from as soon as he left the womb. Every night, the boy and his father would pray to Talos, giving an offering of meat, wishing that the Ninth Divine would guide their swords and protect them and the Empire. As a teenager, Aquila fell in love from an early age with a blacksmiths daughter and married her at sixteen. They lived blissfully together in his father's small dwelling until arguments began over the teenage boy joining the legion. On an auspicious night in 3E 433 the rows got particularily intense. In a rage, Aquila stormed out of the house and left Kvatch on a stolen horse, riding to the Imperial City to join the legion. Realising his foolishness in his not saying goodbye properly, he rode back from Skingrad, only to find Kvatch under a sky made of fire. Daedra crawled through the city and killed almost everyone. Aquila frenziedly rushed around the refugee camp searching for his wife and father, refusing to come to terms with their loss. The small group of guards holding back the Daedra from the camp were the only thing stopping the now eighteen year old from running into the city on a suicide mission. They forced him to come to his senses, but could not convince him to avoid fighting and go back to the camp. Arming himself lightly, Aquila and a few other guards entered the Oblivion gate. There they were victims to the traps and games of Dagon, many of them dying painful deaths. They all saw unspeakable things, and Aquila and the remaining survivors would not have lived if it were not for a mysterious figure who came through the gate and somehow managed to close it. Aquila left the gate filled with rage and adrenaline, covered in Daedra blood and open wounds. But still he would not give up, only being brought back to the camp as he collapsed from blood loss. When he woke up it was over. The boy searched the remains of what had once been his home, finding the charred remains of his loved ones. Distraught, Aquila left Kvatch in tears, riding to Imperial City for a second time on the same horse -its owner probably dead- to join the legion. The Colovian spent the next few months fighting Daedra near constantly. The fighting blocked out the trauma and the grief, but still Aquila was constantly haunted by the guilt of not having been there that night to protect his aging father and loving wife. The legionnary by this point was renowned to be one of the finest warriors in the Imperial Army. He received honour after honour after honour and still he kept killing. The Oblivon Crisis had grown to its climax, as Dagon himself invaded the Imperial City. Aquila and a few other Imperial's held out in a tower, somehow surviving the constant onslaught of Daedra as they poured out of seemingly endless gates. All hope seemed to be gone, but out of nowhere a firey Dragon appeared above the Temple of the One and banished Dagon from Mundus. The Crisis was over. Whilst fighting the Daedra, Aquila had made a few friends and encountered the Talos Cult. The Cult provided a spiritual escape, and the Colovian soon become dedicated to the God of War and Governance. After the crisis, Aquila found himself lost in praise and glory. The Empire began to fall apart, and legions were sent to various wars all over Tamriel. He left the legion soon before the great Civil War began, seeking refuge in the Order of Talos in Bruma. There he became a warrior monk and lived a quiet life. The civil war began to unfold in its entirety and some of the leading members of the Order gained a reputation for their outspoken criticism of the un-Talos like qualities of all the leaders involved and the death of the Empire. The local leader decided enough was enough and in 4E 4, sent soldiers to exterminate the small and heavily outnumbered Order. The older members -the elderly and the infirm- stayed, waiting for their deaths. Those fit enough to travel mostly fled to Skyrim, where Talos was still strongly revered. However, the King Titus of Evermore, a self-proclaimed worshipper of Talos offered an invitation to any members of the Order to flee to the kingdom instead. Promises were made of a rennovated Chapel and Monastery, the King even promising the continuation of the Order with full and total support. Most distrusted the Breton, and instead chose their path to the newly formed Nordic Confederacy to ask for aid. Aquila and two other warrior monks by the names of Gaius and Vibius accepted the invitation and quickly made way to High Rock, escaping Bruma under disguise. The small party arrived to be greeted by a very friendly welcoming. King Titus kept his promises, providing the now considerably smaller Order with a vital lifeline. Life in Evermore was good and Titus proved himself to be a good man and king. A year later, in 4E 5, the three warrior monks sweared fealty to King Titus and the Kingdom of Evermore. The new Order of Talos ended up becoming the de facto bodyguards and personal knights of the war hungry Bretic Ruler. Growth in the Order was slow due to the ridiculously high standards, the need to be a Colovian Man also slimming the recruitment pool. They still steadily grew however and when war began in 4E 5 more and more recruits were willingly to offer their dedication to Talos and the Order. Between 4E 5 and 4E 17, King Titus and the Kingdom of Evermore involved itself in many wars. Gaius, Vibius and Aquila and the new members of the Order were constantly by the King's side and even involved themselves in battle on occassion, proving their infamous and otherworldly fighting prowess. The wars gradually came to a halt, but Evermore and the Order of Talos had both grown considerably, the Order now possessing twenty-two members. In 4E 23, Gaius died in a fever. Vibius by this point was old and decrepit, spending the rest of his days in the monastery offering his wisdom to anyone who wished it. It came upon Aquila to take the reigns as Pontifex-Maximus, to lead the Order until he physically could not. The Colovian had grown to be imensely loyal to his liege. King Titus near constantly had the Imperial at his side and as he lay on his deathbed in 4E 26, he proclaimed Aquila a member of the prestigious Order of the Hourglass. More importantly however, Sir Tiberius Valerius Aquila made a promise to unquestionably protect the Queen and what would seen become her Kingdom. The warrior monk was now the personal bodyguard of the Queen and the leader of her official bodyguard, the Order of Talos. Two years have passed and Sir Aquila still remains at his post, forever loyal. The Queen's antics and wild nature sometimes disturb the Imperial who at heart is just a soldier, but she is good to him and he feels he must maintain his promise to the late King. Though if one were to look deeper, one would see that the guilt of letting down his family has led to Tiberius never letting his loyalty waver. Category:Imperial Category:Evermore Category:Characters